Maria Esther Bueno was very dear to Woodfield Grove Tennis Club, having been an Honorary Member here for more than 20 years.

Her death on Friday 8 June in her home town of São Paulo was a shock to club members as well as around the wider tennis world because few knew she was fighting cancer, a battle Maria finally lost at the age 78.

Tributes poured in, reflecting how this great champion was revered, and she will be greatly missed, particularly at our club, which she loved to visit and play at.

Last Saturday, Maria’s body lay in the Oval Office of the Government House of São Paulo where public mourners paid their respects ahead of the funeral and burial in a private ceremony.

Three days of mourning were declared by the Governor of the State of São Paulo, and she received tributes from, amongst many others, the President of Brazil, the Olympic Committee, Tennis Confederations, clubs and many, many friends from all over the world.

French Open organisers paid tribute to Maria with a minute’s applause ahead of the women’s singles final at Roland Garros last Sunday, and she was honoured on the big screen of the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna at the start of the Brazil v Austria friendly ahead of the World Cup on Monday.

A Memorial Mass was held at the church she attended every week in São Paolo on Friday 15 June, attended by the Chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Philip Brook as well as family, friends and dignitaries.

Maria was South America’s most successful tennis player, having won 19 major titles, including three Wimbledon singles titles and four US championships, and she dominated the game during the late 1950s and 1960s.

She surely would have won much more had her career not been marred by illness and injuries, bedridden for eight months by hepatitis in 1961 and overcoming knee surgery in 1965, coming back strongly from both.

The upshot was that she never made it fully into the Open era and is often forgotten as the star who helped usher in the modern women’s game.

Billie Jean King led tributes tweeting: “Maria was a big star who caught the interest of the fans at a time when the men took centre stage. She helped lay the groundwork for what was to come. She deserves to be recognised.

“I always looked forward to seeing Maria at Wimbledon and some of the other major tournaments. She was the first superstar of South America and she was revered there.

“She was a huge influence on my career, and for many players from my generation, she was the one we all looked up to. I had the privilege of winning a Wimbledon doubles title with her in 1965.

“She was very elegant on court – the way she looked and especially the way she played. She had fans all over the world and will be missed.”

Virginia Wade wrote: “I have so many deep remembrances of her, especially as she was my hero when I was growing up and still in South Africa.

“Then when I saw her in person at Wimbledon when I was just 16, with that exquisite beauty on the court, she was quite breathtaking. The way she glided around the court with such elegance and hit the ball was mesmerising.

“Despite the fact that she was a mega hero in her era, it is so ridiculous that her effect on the game has not been recognised to the extent it should, in today’s world of tennis.

“Maybe my only regret was that in the three times I played her, I couldn’t get near to beating her! But when she had been part of the 1977 Wimbledon parade of champions on the Centre Court, and I bumped into her at Queens later that day, and said how great the parade was, she said to me that I would be in the next one.

“I can tell you that comment certainly gave me a boost of confidence!”

That very same Championships, Virginia won the women’s singles title in front of HM The Queen and Maria.

Bueno was adored in Brazil, honoured with a postage stamp, statues, a mural and the Olympic tennis stadium named after her. She also received all the top national and state awards and medals.

Ranked No 1 in the world in 1959, 1960, 1964 and 1966 Maria the first non-American woman to win Wimbledon and the US Open in the same season.

Memorably, Maria returned to play on Centre Court at Wimbledon in 1976, winning through to the quarter-finals, and then retired in 1977 to become an ambassador for the sport she loved and forging a second career as a television commentator, adding to her celebrity status both in her home country and around the world.

Maria loved spending months in London every year, and the informality of the clubs at which she played, especially Woodfield Grove where she enjoyed being ‘just one of the members’.

“As a legend in our sport she honoured us by presenting the prizes at Finals Day on many occasions and enjoyed playing at the club,” said Peter Risdon, Woodfield Grove’s Chairman and a close friend of Maria’s.

“Those of you who met her will know what a warm and friendly person she was and a joy to spend time with.

“She was a very special lady, a champion both on and off the court.

“The memories of the happy times we spent with her will always remain with us.”

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Lucia Sariscanova wins the women’s open singles title at Magdalen Park

Congratulations to Lucia for winning the LTA Grade 4 Singles title at the Magdalen Park Senior Open Tournament over the May bank holiday weekend, and pocketing the £100 first prize with the loss of just 3 games for her efforts.

Lucia Sariscanova, 29, who is from Slovakia and a tennis coach and the junior coordinator at Woodfield Grove Tennis Club, is no stranger to competition, having competed on the WTA Tour in 2006 and now making a return to singles match play.

She had little trouble in her opening round on Saturday, dispatching Matilde Richou without the loss of a game in just 42 minutes on court 1.

Her next opponent of the day, Laura Mulders, took two and a quarter hours to overcome the second seed, Daisy Stevens, 4-6 6-4 6-4, earlier in the afternoon, and had little left for the semi-final played that evening.

It took Lucia 59 minutes to dispatch the Magdalen Park member in straight sets on court 7, 6-1 6-1, to secure her place in the final against the top-seeded Tsvetomira Arsenova from Bulgaria, rated 3.1, the following day.

Under a blazing hot noonday sun on Sunday, Lucia got off to a great start in the final, winning her opening game and then immediately breaking her opponent’s serve.

She kept the pressure on, helped by her young opponent’s nervousness and hitting to a good length, striking several great winners off her backhand in the process to secure the first set with relative ease.

Arsenova began the second looking somewhat stronger, but Lucia won her opening serve and, once again, broke immediately to go up 2-0.

Although the Bulgarian won the next game, it proved to be of small comfort because, despite playing better and enduring some testing rallies, Lucia’s accuracy and few unforced errors made the result inevitable and she clinched the title in just 55 minutes, 6-0 6-1, cheered on by an impressive delegation of Woodfield Grove members on the sidelines.

The lack of silverware was, perhaps, disappointing but Lucia’s performance was majestic and she was certainly happy with the cheque.

In fact, her appearance on court at Magdalen Park had lasted a little over two and a half hours to complete her three matches, signalling that she is not only honing her singles skills again but is well on the way now to raising her LTA rating.

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Why not join us?

The draw has been done, the websites updated, and the captains are now gathering their players in preparation for this year’s Millennium Cup campaign, which starts in April.

The Millennium Cup is a local team competition involving the five tennis clubs of Streatham and provides friendly competition across all age groups over the summer for players who do not ordinarily compete in the Tennis Surrey leagues.

For Woodfield Grove Tennis Club’s captain, it is time to create a Millennium Cup Squad from among club members, out of which the team will be picked for the league ties on the following dates:

Sunday 8 April, from 10.00am: WGTC (Away) v Telford Park LTC

Sunday 29 April, from 10.00am: WGTC (Home) v Grafton T&SC

Sunday 20 May, from 10.00am: WGTC (Away) v Wigmore LTC

Sunday 10 June, from 10.00am: WGTC (Home) v Norbury LTC

Also planned are a couple of practice sessions ahead the ties to determine the best combinations of players for the various disciplines involved – singles, doubles and mixed.

It is a perfect opportunity to introduce new members into match play in a friendly environment.

Woodfield Grove is renowned for hosting excellent home Millennium Cup ties, with a barbecue running alongside and the bar open for business throughout the day.

Anyone interested in participating should come down to visit the club and sign up as a new member.

The two top finishers of the league stage of the competition will contest the Millennium Cup Final which, for the first time in 18 years, will move from its traditional September date to the weekend of 30 June/1 July.

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Woodfield Grove Tennis Club is gearing up for a great year of playing tennis!

The Winter Mixed Handicap Tournament is being played as a round robin event this year, with two groups of four pairs vying to be top finishers and a place in the final due to be held on Saturday 21 April.

Our teams are nearing the completion of their matches in the Surrey Winter League with varying degrees of success and in the full knowledge that soon they will be playing the summer league in, hopefully, much more benign conditions.

Summer beckons also with the lure of the Club tournament, which brings playing members together in all five disciplines of singles, doubles and mixed, with the finals to be played on Saturday 23 June.

Meanwhile, members will have the chance to socialise alongside both finals days and a Bingo Nite on Saturday 24 March, as well as simply hanging out with friends after a game enjoying a drink or two from the bar.

As members, these are dates for the diary.

The club is planning an Open Day in conjunction with the Great British Tennis Weekend on Sunday 13 May, offering locals a chance to come down to view the facilities, try the courts and meet our coaches and committee members.

For those looking for a great club to join, check us out at Woodfield Grove > Click HERE < and start gearing up for your summer!

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The Chairman of Woodfield Grove, Peter Risdon, was honoured on Club Finals Day, Saturday 24 June, when he was presented with the prestigious Tennis Surrey Meritorious Award by the county’s Honorary Chairman, David Cianfarani.

It was a great surprise for Peter, who had no inkling that arrangements were being made to include members of his family and close friends as well as club members to be present for the occasion.

Mr Cianfarani slipped quietly into the club during the afternoon on the pretext of ‘just passing by’, and was joined by Peter’s brother, Michael, from Ireland, and his cousin Dianne and her son, Daniel, to help spring the surprise.

The Tennis Surrey Meritorious Award decanter

At 4pm precisely Champagne was served and Peter, lured from his post behind the bar, was presented with a magnificent glass decanter by David, who said: “Peter is the 21st recipient of this special award that recognises the selfless contribution that he has made to Woodfield Grove Tennis Club since he was a child.

“He has served as Chairman for over 30 years, represented the club countless times on the court, won 37 titles and had the centre court named in his honour.

David Cianfarani, Honorary Chairman, Tennis Surrey

“That isn’t enough, though, to recognise your great contribution, and it gives me great pleasure to present the Tennis Surrey Meritorious Award to you on this very special day.”

For once, the Chairman was caught by surprise and found himself at a loss for words beyond ‘Thank you!’ – a secret well kept and and an honour thoroughly well deserved.

A former stockbroker and director of BZW UK Equities Limited, Peter has been involved with tennis for most of his life as a player, umpire and volunteer club official.

He took a two-year break from the City to manage Lew Hoad’s Campo de Tenis in Spain and opted for early retirement in 1997, concentrating his efforts on Celebrity Tennis, a consultancy he was the driving force behind forming in 1997, and Woodfield Grove Tennis Club, where he continues to serve as Chairman.

The Honorary Chairmen’s Role of Honour board at Woodfield Grove Tennis Club

In fact, he is by far the club’s longest serving Chairman of the club and is currently in his 34th year of office, having just been re-elected for 2017-18.

He has been a member of Woodfield Grove Tennis Club since a child, and is its staunchest supporter. He has also acted as both men’s captain and treasurer.

On the playing front, he was an integral part of Woodfield Grove’s ‘golden era’ in the 1970s when the club fielded several teams in county competitions and played some 31 friendly matches throughout the year with local clubs.

In 1975, Peter, together with fellow-member Gordon Blair, reached the finals of the Greater London Parks Doubles Championships and the pair also reached the finals for the Surrey Doubles, twice.

The Peter Risdon Centre Court plaque presented by Maria Esther Bueno on behalf of the club.

In July 2005 the main tennis court at the club, Court 2, was named after him and a plaque presented by Honorary Member Maria Esther Bueno marked the occasion.

In 2014 Peter was further honoured by the club in celebration of fifty years since his first win there, after which he captured a total of 37 titles to date, and the members presented a silver trophy to him to be used for a new event and, as a result, the Ris Team Cup was born with the inaugural competition held in 2015.

Over the years, in the club tournament, Peter has won 10 singles, 15 doubles and 13 mixed doubles titles to date.

The Ris Team Cup was a fitting tribute to one of the club’s most successful players and its most committed volunteer, who has now been formally recognised by Tennis Surrey for all the work he has done to make Woodfield Grove such a successful club.

Thanks is owed to Claire Lean, the club Secretary, for orchestrating all the top secret arrangements and to those very few who did know, for keeping it such a surprise!

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A Millennium Cup win over Telford –

There’s a breath of fresh air sweeping over Woodfield Grove as the new tennis season begins with a win.

Last weekend the club’s Millennium Cup team scored a fine win over Telford Park, bringing to an end the recent drought of success in the friendly local competition.

It puts us top of the leaderboard with Grafton, at least for openers. A full report will follow…

The Millennium Cup involves the five clubs of Streatham in a league competition that provides friendly competition across all age groups.

It’s a chance for players to gain a taste for match play in a friendly environment and a good social event as food and drinks are served alongside.

Best of all is that the top players in the club are excluded to make for an even-playing field and because they get to play plenty of matches anyway in the Surrey leagues!

We field 7 teams in the Wilson Surrey Tennis competitions over the summer and winter months, in both leagues and knockouts.

There are three men’s teams, two ladies’ and two mixed teams, as well as other competitions in the summer aimed at those looking to improve their match skills.

For the first time, in 2017, the club has entered a men’s team into the Aegon Team Championships, the national club competition and play kicks off in that on Sunday 23 April when Woodfield Grove plays Riddlesdown at home.

Our new membership season begins on 1 May when subscriptions are renewed and we welcome new players to the club.

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Make it your’s to play more…

With the seasonal festivities over, our thoughts inevitably turn to losing weight, getting fit and leading a healthier lifestyle – in short, to play more!

What better way than to get out onto the tennis court at Woodfield Grove and start playing on a regular basis?

We are a small, friendly club with four floodlit courts and a modern, comfortable clubhouse offering a bar, kitchen, lounge, Sky TV and WiFi.

It’s a pleasant place to be.

And 2017 offers plenty of opportunities for players of all standards at Woodfield, which is located just a hop, skip and a jump from Streatham Hill in south London.

Tennis XPress for Beginners

If you are an adult beginner, there is Tennis XPress, a great six-week course that gets you playing quickly – our coaching team can tell you all about it and sign you up for the next one > Click HERE.

Tennis XPress sessions are run in the evenings for an hour and a half, a great way to unwind after work!

Better still, if you decide to join the club after your Tennis XPress course, we will give you a 15% discount on your subscription… that has to be a great deal.

Headed by Karin Govan, our Head Coach, a team of four teaching professionals offers a comprehensive coaching programme for all ages and standards. Check out the Coaching Page for more details.

Match Play

Members shortly will be signing up for the Winter Mixed Doubles Handicap Tournament that is played over the first three months of the year.

This is for the hardy, those who are prepared to endure some quite adverse weather conditions and a scoring system that levels the playing field, but is all great fun and helps introduce members to each other since partners are drawn out of a hat!

Then there is the Ris Team Cup, our one-day team competition that is played using a quick-fire, fast format of scoring that keeps players on their toes and counting every game won.

Everyone comes together afterwards for a barbecue and a few drinks from the bar.

A firm favourite among those new to match play or who are not of a standard to play for the club teams in the Surrey Leagues, is the Millennium Cup – a friendly local inter-club team competition that is played out over the summer months.

The Club fields seven teams in the Surrey Summer Leagues and five in the winter, as well as competing in the knock-out competitions.

All in all, Woodfield Grove could well become your port of call for a fitter, happier and healthier 2017!

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Woodfield Grove’s Ladies 1st Team were pipped at the post in the Winter Women’s Doubles 2 / Division 9 East by Purley Bury Women’s 1, and it couldn’t have been much closer.

Both teams won 8 points over the 5 ties played, scoring 15 won – 5 lost in rubbers, so it came down to overall sets won – 34-5 to PB and 30-14 to WGTC.

The two teams played for the second time in a week at Woodfield Grove when the visitors won by just one set and relegatied WGTC into second place in the division.

This followed their disappointment at finishing runners-up to them in the knock-out final a week earlier at Purley Bury.

Congratulations to Lenka and Michele for playing 10 matches and winning them all over this winter campaign!

The men’s second team head their division 16 East, scoring 7 points from 4 ties played but have yet to play Norbury Park 3.

The men’s first team played all five of their winter league matches, finishing third in their division 10 East (MD 2) with a 7-10 rubber ratio; while the men’s third team earned 3 points from their five matches to end fifth in Division 25 East.

Everyone is now looking forward to the Wilson Summer League, which starts on the 1st May.

Wilson Surrey Summer League 2016

Date

Draw

Home

Away

Score

Sun 01/05/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 09 East

Cheam Fields Club

Woodfield Grove Men's 1

Sun 01/05/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 18 East

Woodfield Grove Men's 2

Wigmore Men's V

Sun 01/05/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 23 East

Woodfield Grove Men's 3

Honor Oak Men's1

Mon 09/05/2016

Mixed Doubles - Div 03

Magdalen Park 2

Woodfield Grove Mixed 1

Mon 09/05/2016

Mixed Doubles - Div 06 East

South Croydon Mixed 2

Woodfield Grove Mixed 2

Sun 15/05/2016

Women's Doubles - Div 10 East

Limpsfield Women's 3

Woodfield Grove Ladies 1

Sun 15/05/2016

Women's Doubles - Div 21

Dorking Ladies 2

Woodfield Grove Ladies 2

Sun 22/05/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 09 East

Woodfield Grove Men's 1

Old College Mens 3

Sun 22/05/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 18 East

Telford Park Men's 3

Woodfield Grove Men's 2

Sun 22/05/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 23 East

Woodfield Grove Men's 3

Dulwich 6

Mon 06/06/2016

Mixed Doubles - Div 03

Banstead Downs 2

Woodfield Grove Mixed 1

Mon 06/06/2016

Mixed Doubles - Div 06 East

Woodfield Grove Mixed 2

Shirley Park Mixed 2

Sun 12/06/2016

Women's Doubles - Div 10 East

Woodfield Grove Ladies 1

Downs Ladies 1

Sun 12/06/2016

Women's Doubles - Div 21

Woodfield Grove Ladies 2

Epsom Women's 4

Mon 04/07/2016

Mixed Doubles - Div 03

Woodfield Grove Mixed 1

Wilton 1

Mon 04/07/2016

Mixed Doubles - Div 06 East

Reedham Park mixed doubles 1

Woodfield Grove Mixed 2

Sun 10/07/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 09 East

Carshalton Men's 1

Woodfield Grove Men's 1

Sun 10/07/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 18 East

Woodfield Grove Men's 2

Grafton Mens 3

Sun 10/07/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 23 East

Raynes Park Res. Mens 2

Woodfield Grove Men's 3

Sun 17/07/2016

Women's Doubles - Div 10 East

Shirley Park Ladies 2

Woodfield Grove Ladies 1

Sun 17/07/2016

Women's Doubles - Div 21

DL Cheam Women's 1

Woodfield Grove Ladies 2

Mon 01/08/2016

Mixed Doubles - Div 03

Banstead Downs 1

Woodfield Grove Mixed 1

Mon 01/08/2016

Mixed Doubles - Div 06 East

Woodfield Grove Mixed 2

Camber Mixed 2

Sun 07/08/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 09 East

Dormansland Mens 2

Woodfield Grove Men's 1

Sun 07/08/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 18 East

Dulwich 4

Woodfield Grove Men's 2

Sun 07/08/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 23 East

Spencer5

Woodfield Grove Men's 3

Sun 14/08/2016

Women's Doubles - Div 10 East

Woodfield Grove Ladies 1

Wigmore Ladies II

Sun 14/08/2016

Women's Doubles - Div 21

Old College Ladies 6

Woodfield Grove Ladies 2

Sun 04/09/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 09 East

Woodfield Grove Men's 1

Purley Bury Men's 2

Sun 04/09/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 18 East

Woodfield Grove Men's 2

Selsdon mens 1

Sun 04/09/2016

Men's Doubles - Div 23 East

CASSAC 2

Woodfield Grove Men's 3

Sun 11/09/2016

Women's Doubles - Div 10 East

Dulwich Ladies 3

Woodfield Grove Ladies 1

Sun 11/09/2016

Women's Doubles - Div 21

Woodfield Grove Ladies 2

Richmond Ladies 3

Mon 12/09/2016

Mixed Doubles - Div 03

Woodfield Grove Mixed 1

Purley Mixed 2

Mon 12/09/2016

Mixed Doubles - Div 06 East

Norbury Park Mixed 1

Woodfield Grove Mixed 2

Good luck to them all!

For those not involved in the Surrey Leagues, they can look forward to the up-and-coming Millennium Cup campaign, which kicks off on Sunday 17 April when Woodfield Grove is away against Telford Park.

And then we have the Club Tournament to look forward to…

Time to dust off those rackets and get down to business.

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Ladders News

Climb your way up the ladder ranking

The Doubles Ladder is up and running alongside the Mixed Singles Ladder and both provide club members with an ideal opportunity to play others in friendly matches, especially now the evening are getting longer and there is a hint of spring in the air.

They both run under the same rules, are accessed online and are proving to be pretty competitive, especially in the lower regions of the singles rungs.

Ladies I reach Knockout Final

Woodfield Grove Ladies I won the Winter Knockout in 2015

The Ladies 1st team is gearing itself up to play the final of the Surrey Ladies’ Grade B Team Knockout tournament held over the winter and will play away to Purley Bury 2 on Sunday 13 March at 11am.

Ironically, the two clubs will have to play again to determine which will win the Wilson Surrey Winter League and that match is scheduled for Sunday 20th March at home at 10:30am.

Whichever team wins the winter division in the league will have to play in Knock Out A next year so this will probably be both clubs’ last chance to play the final for a while!

WGTC Ladies I won at Shirley Park last Sunday, 3-1, and the division is up for grabs, depending on how PB did that same day as it all comes down to the wire.

The ladies will have to exercise some self control the night before their knockout final at the Quiz Nite on Saturday night if they are to have all their faculties fully operational.

Winter Tournament

The Winter Handicap Doubles Tournament is drawing slowly towards its conclusion in April with the matches now in the quarter finals.

On balance the handicapping has been fair, with just one glaring glitch to date.

The handicapping is done by committee and it really isn’t easy to accomplish so hats off for a well-balanced tournament on the whole.

The final is on Saturday 23 April at 2pm.

AGM

The Club’s Annual General Meeting is on Tuesday 15 March at 8pm and it is hoped many members, especially some of the new ones, will make an appearance since this is an opportunity to hear how the club is doing, what the future plans are and to learn members’ views on a variety of topics.

Coaching News

The following Saturday, 19 March, our coaching team is offering a range of free taster sessions for kids from 2pm and 5pm.

The first hour will cater for 5–7 year-olds, while 7-10s can try the game between 3pm-4pm and 10 year olds and over will take over the courts from 4pm until 5pm.

Feel free to bring along a new friend or two and enjoy the free lesson together!

Contact Karin Govan, our Head Pro on 07946 431 514 or email karintennis@hotmail.com to sign up for a guaranteed spot in the Free Taster Sessions.

After Easter a select few members will have the chance to Play the Coach on Saturday 9 April from 2pm to 3.30pm in what promises to be an exciting event to watch!

Perhaps the most exciting news is that our team is launching Tennis XPress at the club, which is designed for adults who have never played tennis before, or haven’t played in a long time.

It is an easy and fun way for adult beginners to get into the game and will start at the club on Thursday 16 April when we are offering non-members a 6-week Tennis XPress course from 8pm to 9pm for just £54 for the full course.

AND THEN, if you decide to join the club after your Tennis XPress course, we will give you a 15% discount on your subscription!

It’s a great deal!

Also on offer is Cardio Tennis which is running in six-week courses from Thursday 21 April from 9.30am-10.30am.